


A Dissociative Fog

by Bunsandpups



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-25 16:06:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4967395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunsandpups/pseuds/Bunsandpups
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony isn't feeling well, and Bruce steps in to help him get better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Dissociative Fog

            Tony leaned against the workbench, frustrated. He’d been trying to read his own calculations for the past fifteen minutes, but it suddenly didn’t make sense. He felt a stress headache creeping into his brain, and resisted the urge to sigh. _I’m a fucking genius,_ he thought. _Why the fuck can’t I read my own work all of a sudden?_

            Bruce looked up from his spot in the lab, resting his pencil down on the notebook when he realized that Tony was stuck. This was usually never a good sign. Had he forgotten to eat or sleep again? Was something else, something worse, happening to him? Bruce carefully made his way to Tony, purposefully taking louder steps, before placing his hand on Tony’s shoulder. Despite his efforts, Tony still flinched, and Bruce kicked himself for not being more careful or considerate.

            “Hey, Tony. Are you stuck again?” Tony nodded, the anger in his eyes evident. He _hated_ when these episodes happened. “Okay, I want you to think back with me. Did you get adequate sleep last night?”

            Tony thought about it for a moment. True, he’d slept for a long enough time, but he didn’t feel rested. Nightmares had plagued him, and he woke up feeling like his was in some kind of fog. “No, I guess I didn’t,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. He appreciated Bruce’s friendship, and what he was trying to do, but hated thinking of the fact that he required more care and attention than he used to.

            “Okay, did you eat and get some water this morning?” Tony had to stop and think again at Bruce’s question.

            “I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that a muffin and some coffee doesn’t count.” Tony crossed his arms over his chest, trying to ignore the fact that he was resorting to sarcasm as a defense. He just wanted to be in the lab, just wanted to get his work done. Why was Bruce _insisting_ on slowing him down?

            “Hey, it’s okay.” Bruce gently patted his shoulder. “You’re not yet recovered. And that’s _okay_ , Tony. You went through a hell of a lot. Let’s get you some real food, and some water, and see if that helps?”

            Tony couldn’t meet his gaze. “What if it doesn’t, Bruce? What if I’m stuck wandering around in this fucking mental fog for days again?” He tried to sound angry instead of scared, but his voice broke midway through the sentence.

            Bruce pulled him in for a light hug. “Then we’ll get some other stuff done. Maybe catch up on movies. God knows you’d love to show me enough pop culture to keep us occupied for days.” Tony couldn’t resist a smile at that.

            “Yeah… Yeah, you’re right. So, eggs and bacon?” Bruce laughed, leading Tony into the kitchen. _It’ll be okay, Tony. It’s just gonna take time_.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something for a friend of mine who has been there for me when I've had episodes like this. She's incredibly sweet, and I don't know what I would do without her. Dissociation is truly one of the scariest things that's happened to me.  
> I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
